


unite my family

by Aria_Cinabun



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: AU, Brotherly relations, Family Dynamics, Gen, Hardcore, Minecraft Hardcore but make it mandatory for ten-year-olds, Seperation, Stupid I know, absolutely no shipping besides maybe a small bit of Niki and Wilbur but it's only mentioned, platonic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:48:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26282182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aria_Cinabun/pseuds/Aria_Cinabun
Summary: Hardcore. A dimension that all ten-year-olds must travel to for a set period of time - between one year and two, or, very occasionally, more. Tommy finds himself on the stage with Tubbo and Purpled ready to leave his family. He knows very well he could never return.He loves them.He wants to go back.He fights to reunite himself with those he loves.
Relationships: Dave | Technoblade & TommyInnit, Dave | Technoblade & Wilbur Soot & Phil Watson, Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit
Comments: 44
Kudos: 1264
Collections: Completed stories I've read





	unite my family

Hardcore had come for them. 

For him and Tubbo and Purpled. Hardcore had come. A time, a designation between now and a year that they would have to survive in a world alone. 

The wind shifts through his blonde hair, and he draws in a deep breath as he looks upon the crowd of the people he calls his friends, his family.

He is ten years old. Tubbo is a few months older, Purpled a few younger. Still, Hardcore has come for the three of them.

They will come back, or they will die. Simple as that. 

He meets the eyes of Phil - the father figure to him, who never had a family besides these people. Phil is the oldest, and had been one of the few unlucky ones, the one in billions, to draw the paper slip with five years on it. 

He came back. 

Tommy draws in another deep breath. The crowd is silent. Waiting as the ceremony begins - it is not much of a ceremony. 

Hundreds of people are here today, to watch this convention. To watch them. The longest time they can get is a year - or if they're unlucky, five. 

They are ten years old. 

He and Tubbo have spent months with Phil and Techno and Wilbur learning the basic techniques of survival. His three 'brothers' have spent continuous hours ranting about how to hide during the night if there isn't a bed available. How to fight off mobs - that was the fun part, but the older siblings took it with deadly seriousness.

He lets out his breath, trying not to let the nerves get to him. He can do this. He is the best. He will get out of there. He will survive, because his name is TommyInnit and he is the greatest ten-year-old to ever grace the land. 

Even the older boys that he quarrels with - Dream and George and Sapnap - they are fifteen and sixteen and thirteen - are silent. They stole his discs, but he knows they care. 

All of them care.

He doesn't realize that he's squeezing Tubbo's hand slightly until his best friend in the whole wide world squeezes back. He doesn't know Purpled all too well, but he knows him well enough, and he can feel the younger boy's hand clenched in a fist. 

He is scared.

No. No, he is not scared. He is TommyInnit, and he is never scared. He is the best. He will beat them all. He will boast about his exploits in Hardcore and people will look up to him in fear and reverence. He doesn't know what reverence is, but Techno always talks about it. It must be important. Techno always uses important words. 

He has said goodbyes to his family already - that lasted two days, and they watched movies over and over, movies that he knew that Techno hated, but let him watch anyway. He got his favorite foods and was even allowed to sleep with Floof for a night. Him and Tubbo, 'cause Tubbo got scared and curled up with him. Totally not the other way around. He is strong. He doesn't need anybody.

He cannot let his hands loose from Purpled and Tubbo. He sees the wandering eyes of his friends, even those that made fun of him for his accent, those that pretended not to care so much, they are all there. Hundreds. He didn't know they would care.

They have come for them. 

Purpled is first. 

He gulps, and Tommy has to pry his hands out of the violet-eyed boy’s as he goes and stands in front of the shimmering portal that leads to the different Hardcore worlds - there is one for each of them. The black-cloaked figure is silent - they know what to do.

Tommy remembers when Niki and Sapnap left two years ago. Wilbur had waited at the edge of his seat. Dream and George had been terrified. 

They both had come back safe and sound. Niki had only gotten two weeks, and Sapnap three months, but both of them had made it back. 

There were two ways of getting out of Hardcore. 

One. Waiting out your time and surviving.

Two. Defeating the ender dragon. 

Even Phil hadn't done that, as the ender dragon was the legendary boss that couldn't ever be defeated. Even Tommy wasn't stupid enough to try to kill it. Sure, he'd boasted about trying, but Wilbur had yelled at him until he'd cried, and then Techno had yelled at Wilbur and Tommy had run crying to Phil and Tubbo, both of whom had comforted him.

He watches as Purpled reaches a hand into the ender chest and withdraws the piece of crumpled paper that has been waiting for him the moment he was born. 

He watches the paper crumble to ash under Purpled's grip, and black ashy numbers appear on Purpled's arm. 

"Nine days," the black-cloaked man says in a croaky voice. 

There are some sighs of relief from the crowd, and Tommy smiles at Purpled as a small look of relief crosses the younger boy's face. He waves to the people in the crowd, and he walks through the portal. 

Tommy knows inherently that Purpled will survive. He knows the boy's skills well enough. Nine days is on the lower side of the spectrum. 

Tubbo is next. He lets go of his best friend's hand and watches as the shorter, brown-haired boy stumbles across to the ender chest that floats in the center of the stage. He watches as his friend pulls out the paper - and like the boy before him, watches as it crumbles to ash. Sees the small tattoos that appears on the boys' arm, though he cannot read it from this distance. 

"Ninety-one days," the creature says. 

Tommy doesn't like that. That is over three months. He hears the mutters of distaste from the crowd - most of them have less than that, a few have more. 

He meets Tubbo's eyes. He believes in his friend. He is scared out of his mind for Tubbo, but he believes in him.

He watches as the boy walks through the portal. 

There is sweat trickling down his neck as he walks over to the ender chest. He is last. Everyone is watching him. He sees Techno give him a small smirk, but there is a bit of sadness lingering behind it.

He knows very well that he could die here.

He reaches his hand into the ender chest, and he feels a paper teleport into his hand. He pulls it out, and it crumbles to ash. He lifts up his arm to read the number of days inscribed on it - and freezes. 

"One thousand, four hundred, and sixty."

Tommy's eyes go up to see Phil half out of his seat as he rapidly tries to do the math.

Four years. That's four years. _Four years_. 

"NO!" he screams, even though he isn't supposed to make any noise - it could ruin the ceremony, but he doesn't _care_ , because he's going to die in Hardcore. 

Four years. Too many. Too long. Too much. 

"TOMMY!" Wilbur screams back, and Phil has to haul him back. Techno's eyes are wide, and even Dream is on his feet as the creature forces Tommy into the portal.

Everything goes black.

* * *

He blinks his eyes, and the bright light of sunlight fills his eyes. He is in the middle of a plains, a forest to his left, and the towering peaks of mountains to his right.

Four years.

He is going to die. He is going to die. 

He runs over to the trees and picks up some sticks. 

Four years. 

He makes a wooden pickaxe by sharpening the wood against a bit of stone sticking out against the side of the hill, like he's done under Phil's direction a million times before. Usually, Tubbo would be working hard next to him. 

He chips rocks out and makes an ax, and gets enough wood to make a lean-to against the small hill. It is sunset. He curls up in the grass, shivering, hearing the groans as monsters climb out of the caves and roam the land. He hears them bang against the wood occasionally.

He cannot fall asleep. 

It has not even been twelve hours, and he knows that he is going to die. 

He wakes up the next morning and exits his lean-to. He kills the wildlife for food, but he feels bad and plants some seeds next to a pond for future wheat to make better food than killing off random animals.

He is only ten years old.

He makes a sword. Gets some leather and makes some armor. Makes some more stone tools. Wilbur had told him to stop, at that. It was too dangerous to adventure belowground unless absolutely necessary. 

He has four years ahead of him. He needs to do this. 

He goes into the cave, his torch in hand, shaking from fear. The fire flickers menacingly as he grabs some coal to make a fire. 

He kills a zombie. Those are the easy ones. He's killed a couple before. Not alone. It's hard, but he's TommyInnit.

He will survive.

He's going to die in Hardcore, isn't he?

He watches as the days tick down on his arm, one by one.

* * *

**~Wilbur's POV~**

He hugs Tubbo tight to his chest as the boy steps out of the portal, his brown eyes slightly cloudy. He wraps his arms and clings tightly to the person that reminds him of the sweet younger brother. He sees Dream give him a small nod - through all their quarrels, he knows the green-eyed teenager cares. Techno pats Tubbo on the head, and Phil shoots Wilbur a look from behind the small boy.

"What did Tommy get?" Tubbo sniffles, crying from relief.

Wilbur freezes. He cannot think. He does not know how to answer. He was frozen when Tommy looked up at him and the black-robed creature had said the words that had condemned Tommy to four years in Hardcore. 

He had faith in Tommy, but to an extent. The kid was ten years old. Those kinds of lengths for children to be put into Hardcore was a death sentence. Phil was currently the longest-lasting survivor. 

"Tubbo," Phil says carefully. "You're not going to be seeing Tommy for a while." Techno winces and surreptitiously wipes at his eyes. Wilbur can't help closing his own and resting it on Tubbo's head, not letting the boy away when he squirms from Wilbur's grip. 

"W-what?" 

Phil squats down on Tubbo's left, and gently tugs Wilbur's arm away from the boy. "He...he got four years, Tubbo."

Tubbo stiffens. "B-but he's _Tommy_. He'll come back. Right?"

"Yeah, of course," Techno says, and Wilbur shoots him a glare. "We can only hope."

"He's _Tommy_ ," Tubbo says stubbornly. "If anyone can survive, it's him. 'Sides, Phil, you survived five years."

Phil forces out a laugh, rubbing Tubbo's hair. "You've got a point." Wilbur throws a final look at the portal before they turn and walk away, back home. Tubbo brightens up a bit when he spies Purpled and Punz and Ponk, the two younger boys hugging each other instantly and having a quick chat while Wilbur hovers anxiously, nodding sharply at Punz and Ponk. Tubbo finally pulls away, looking a lot happier in the presence of his other friend. 

He wants Tommy to come home.

* * *

**~Tommy's POV~**

He celebrates his fourteenth birthday alone. Tomorrow, the portal will come.

He is still alive. He bears iron and diamond armor and he fights off mobs with ease and precision. He has a wheat farm and a house and a pet cow that gives him milk named Henry and two music discs, Mellohi and Cat. 

He is alone.

He misses talking to Tubbo and Wilbur and Phil and Techno. He misses poking fun at Tubbo. He misses the meals Phil cooked. He misses sparring in the yard with Techno. He misses talking about the future and getting into deeper conversations with Wilbur. He misses teasing fun at Niki about her crush on his older brother. He misses the playfights he got into with Dream and George and Sapnap. He talks to the animals so that he has someone to talk to - endless days of chatter while he sits on the edge of the hill and waits for the day he can go home.

He hasn't touched the Nether, hasn't gone looking for the End. He had an encounter with an Enderman once, and it left him confined to bed for weeks, shaking with fear of nearly dying. 

He misses his family.

He misses his friends.

He wants to go home. 

Sometimes he talks to the bees that Tubbo likes so much. Sometimes he goes off and finds flowers to add to his growing garden. Sometimes he goes mining for coal and other gems. Sometimes he picks his carrots and potatoes - Techno would be proud - and his wheat and his beetroots and he makes them into food. Sometimes he feels like he is as brave as Techno, as old as Phil, and as knowledgeable as Wilbur. 

Other times he sits on his hill in front of his ever-growing house and stares numbly as the sun crosses the sky. Other times he cries in his bed and he can't leave it. Other times he breaks down and sleeps all day. Other times he feels like he's six again, having a temper tantrum over something incredibly dumb. Other times he feels like a child.

He sits on the hill on the one thousandth, four-hundred, and sixtieth day, and waits for the portal to arrive.

It never does.

* * *

**~Techno's POV~**

On the final day, one day after Tommy's fourteenth birthday, he stands with his found family at the edge of where the portal should open, waiting for it to open. He stands there, and then sits, after a while, with Tubbo and Wilbur and Phil, and waits for Tommy to walk out, four years older with a broad smile on his face and boasting about his accomplishments.

He waits until the clock strikes midnight and realizes that Tommy isn't coming home. Tubbo curls up and cries, and Wilbur sits in shocked silence as the ender chest - Tommy's ender chest - stops floating and floats gently to the ground. 

There are others around them, waiting. Not for twenty-four hours, like Techno and the rest, but waiting all the same. 

"NO!" he screams. banging his fist against the ground repeatedly as he watches the purple magic surrounding the ender chest fade out. "NO!"

"Tommy," Phil whispers numbly. "Tommy..."

"YOU PROMISED!" Tubbo says with a howl, beating at Techno's chest. "YOU SAID HE WOULD COME BACK!"

"I thought he would," he says numbly, feeling tears slip down his face. "I thought he would."

"He's not coming back," Wilbur whispers, his face wet. "He's not coming home, is he?"

"No," Phil says roughly. "No, he's not." He glances up at the sky - at the stars that shine brightly. "I love you, Tommy. I'll always love you."

"He can't be dead," Tubbo screams. "He can't be dead!"

"He didn't walk through the portal, did he?" Techno says roughly, and Tubbo shrinks back from the anger in Techno's tone.

Wilbur throws Techno a look and runs a hand through Tubbo's hair. "Shh, shh," he murmurs, trying to get the brown-haired boy to quiet down. "Everything is gonna be fine."

It wasn't.

Wilbur knew it. 

Phil knew it.

Techno knew it.

Hell, even Tubbo knew it. 

A part of their family was gone. 

"I'm gonna miss you, Toms," he whispers, before his voice gives out and he breaks down into loud sobs. 

* * *

**~Tommy's POV~**

His fifteenth birthday comes and goes as he prepares to take out the ender dragon. 

He doesn't understand why the portal never came. The numbers fizzled off his arm. He doesn't know why the portal never arrived.

He wants to go home.

No.

He _needs_ to go home. He wants to see his family.

Phil told him to wait it out. Waiting it out clearly didn't work. He needs to defeat the ender dragon.

He wants to go home. 

He places the final eye of ender in the portal frame on the day of his sixteenth birthday, a loud echoing sound sounding out across the stronghold that the portal lies in. The noise seems to shake him to his very soul. 

He takes a deep breath, glancing down at the diamond sword with extra sharpness enchants that he got from magical books he found in the library of the stronghold. He checks his gear - diamond armor, with a pair of iron boots - he didn't have enough diamonds - golden apples, only two - a bucket of water, because enderman hate water - _not_ a bed, he learned that the hard way in the Nether; other dimensions don't like sleeping - a bow and a pack of arrows, and a single ender pearl to get him through the portal if he actually takes out the dragon. 

The eyes seem to be watching him as he steps through the portal. 

He appears on an obsidian platform, nearly falling into the large expanse of the empty void, and panicking. He hears the faint roars of the dragon, and quickly jumps to the yellow bricks of the end island.

He wants to go home.

There is no going back now. He kills the dragon on his sixteenth birthday, or he dies. Plain and simple.

He shoots the end crystals with his bow. He has to climb up one, the dragon glaring at him with its purple eyes, passing inches from him as he leaps to another side of the tower to avoid the dragon passing him off. he dodges the breath of the dragon and falls to the floor into a roll, the end crystals destroyed.

This is the hardest thing he's ever done. Destroying the crystals took him hours. He is breathing hard and panting and he can't even look up to see where the dragon is - he cannot look into the eyes of the lanky endermen that walk calmly on the floating end island. He cannot risk it.

He waits for the dragon to come down so he can slash it with his sword. He gets injured by the teeth and bleeds out. He eats his golden apple and grits his teeth and slashes at it again. He does this for hours. The dragon doesn't come down unless it's absolutely certain that Tommy is nowhere near its nest, so he has to run and hide and then run when it comes down. Then hit again. Sometimes only once, sometimes none at all - sometimes, when he's fast enough, none at all.

He watches as the dragon explodes into a burst of purple light as he hits it one final time, the roar piercing his eardrums as he does the one thing that nobody has ever done before. 

He is sixteen. He has spent six years in Hardcore.

He is going home.

He stares down at the starry portal with a smile on his face for the first time in months.

He steps through it. 

He is going home. 

He appears in the square that he was sent off of. It is eerily quiet - looking up at the moon, it is nearly midnight; his birthday is nearly gone. Nobody is here.

A smile once again tugs at the corner of his lips as he whoops loudly. 

He is home.

He has done it.

He sprints down the streets, glad that his armor disappeared the moment he left the dimension. He doesn't care that he can't breathe that well because of exhaustion, because he is _home_.

He is home. 

He doesn't even have to make it home before he runs into his family. They are outside their house, celebrating a birthday - his birthday. He knows they think he is dead. It makes sense. He never returned two years ago. 

He bowls over Tubbo - the boy is quite tiny, now, but the same as ever - and both boys go crashing to the floor. Tommy lands on his back but pops up onto his feet, a giant smile the size of the moon on his face as his best friend stares at him in shock. 

"Miss me?" he teases.

He finds himself out of breath as Tubbo leaps on him and hugs him tightly, shouting things that he can't understand, until both of them dissolve into laughter. 

He finds himself get picked up and he comes face-to-face with Wilbur, who looks at him with wonder. Wilbur is tall. Taller than him. 

Wilbur spins him around - he wonders how the older boy can _do_ that - and then they hug tightly, and he feels arms come around his back, and he recognizes Techno's callused hands. 

"Aw," he says. "I didn't know you cared."

"Of course I care, Toms," comes the quiet response.

"See?" Tubbo pipes up, wiping tears away from his eyes. "I told you he'd come back."

"Actually," Techno smirks. " _I_ said that. _You_ called me a liar." 

"I did not."

Tommy rolls his eyes as he breaks himself out of Wilbur's extremely tight grasp. "Ow. Wilbur." His older brother figure lets go of him so he can run and hug Phil, who's smiling like a proud father figure. Tommy cannot believe he is taller than Phil, and promises himself that he will all tease them mercilessly for it. 

"I beat you," he says, drawing back from Phil.

"What?" the older man asks.

He cocks his head. "I _beat_ your record. And while I'm at it, I beat the ender dragon." 

Phil laughs. "Of course you did, Tommy." He draws Tommy into another tight hug, one Tommy doesn't mind as much as he feels Tubbo's arms wrap around his body, and Wilbur and Techno hug him from the other side until he can barely breathe.

He doesn't care. 

He is home. 

He is with his family again.

"Happy sixteenth birthday, Toms," Techno tells him. 

He puffs up his chest. "Think I can go on adventures yet?"

Wilbur shakes his lead, trembling with muffled laughter. "That's the first question you ask?"

"Well, actually, the first question I asked was if you missed me," he points out. 

"Of course we do," Phil says. "I missed you every day you were gone, and I planned on missing you every day you were dead."

"Thanks, but I'm not dead."

"You're too stubborn to be dead," Tubbo sniffs.

"You're too stubborn to grow."

"Shut up, Tommy."

He laughs again and hugs Tubbo close to him. 

He is home. He is safe. 

He is united with his family. 


End file.
